We, the undersigned residents, commuters, and property owners of Wellford, South Carolina, petition Mayor Patricia Watson, the Wellford City Council, and the Spartanburg County Roads and Bridges Department to improve traffic safety by converting the single-lane railroad underpasses under the Norfolk Southern tracks, including the Syphirit Road and Carver Street areas, to a designated one-way traffic system.

These narrow, blind underpasses have long depended on the old practice of honking before entering, but Wellford has grown, and with more commuter traffic the risks have become harder to ignore. When two vehicles enter at once, drivers face sudden braking, confusion, and near-miss collisions. Fire, police, and EMS vehicles can also be delayed when the underpasses become blocked. People walking through these areas are left with very little space beside moving traffic, which makes an already tight passage even more dangerous.

We ask the City of Wellford, in partnership with Spartanburg County Traffic Engineering and Norfolk Southern, to conduct an immediate Traffic Impact Study and move forward with a practical one-way routing plan. We also ask for clear directional signs, flashing alerts, and other traffic controls that will help drivers understand the route at a glance and prevent conflict in these bottlenecks.

This is a common-sense safety step for a place that many people rely on every day. Wellford should have underpasses that let residents travel, work, and cross town without fear at each narrow turn. We urge local leaders to act now and make these railroad underpasses safer for everyone.